How Education Support Makes a Difference – Patrick’s Story

Over the last two weeks we have read about the importance of education, and how both Olivia’s and Dr JB’s education support helped shape their futures. This week in the last of the series, we read about Patrick – Olivia’s brother. Patrick is an accountant at Mildmay Uganda.

Patrick’s Story

In 1989 February, I was held for the first time by my Mother and probably my father was somewhere in Kampala trying to get a few things for the new born since have always been reminded by my Mother that the day I was born, it was very chaotic , there was a strike in Kampala. And all she remembers they had to walk back home.

I am a last born in the family of 5 children, 2 sisters and 2 brothers. And by the time I was 2 years, our beloved father died leaving every responsibility in the awesome hands of my Mother, the fact that My father was the only child of his father which is looked at to be a tragedy in the African tradition societies in a view that the more the family members the more availed support and avenues of opportunities for the orphans to be raised by the diverse of the members in the extended family. Trust me such beliefs are wrong because however much my mother had a number of sibling no one was able to opt for supporting at least one of us.

At 3-4 years, I realize that there was something missing. In the slum neighborhood where we lived , my friends had fathers that used to carry polythene bags full of small bread and other few items like any man would carry in the evening back home. I asked my mother where my father was and she told me that he had gone chasing for biscuits for me in China.

In the neighborhood, we were the only Christians and all the others were staunch Muslims. So every Sunday we went to church and my mother was always at church even during the other weekly days. And one day she told us God had done a miracle for me and my sister because the pastor’s wife (Freda) had summoned us for school time for free after she had opened up the school in the church’s names of Victory Christian Primary School. Am actually glad that am one of the pioneers of this school whose basis and purpose was to educate the community orphans with any belief, the fact that we had even Muslims pupils.

Now there is nothing like giving an opportunity to an orphan child the privilege of civilization with the liberty of accessing such a service from his/her guardian home because psychologically it’s much more strengthening. Yes we could go without food some days and my other sibling did not study but the fact that we bonded in such situations with our mother also breathing encouragements into our spiritual nostrils; this put us on right platforms of dreaming big.

And believe me, the more Satan puts you down and you don’t even care that its tough times. It makes him mad. As if the death of my father and all struggles of surviving with our mother wasn’t enough. One day while playfully running around under the scorching sun with my sister called Olivia, I fell down and fainted. Woke up on my mother’s bed and all eyes were on me. I wondered why but they were smiling.

In the morning, my mother approached the only help she knew of and that was Mummy Freda (Victory Childcare Project). Kindly forget everything but always remember this; it’s very good to help but it’s actually more influential to attach or forward your heart with the help to the one receiving the help.

Victory Childcare Project paid for every coin we spent for diagnosis, where we discovered that I had an ASD -Atrial septal Defect on my heart, and I was advised to go to India by the specialist at that time. Moreover, the physician told my mother “it is a miracle that your son is alive but he has approximately a year to live if you don’t go to India to cover up the 3 holes in his heart”.

The tablets I was given fell in water in the house when it rained heavily because the house we were renting was leaking everywhere. I didn’t want to tell my mother what had happened, so I put it up the sauce pan covering another and by the time I looked there it had melted into a blood like substance. Later I told her and she told me one thing you either accept to die or believe and have faith. Instead of swallowing tablets in the day time as prescribed for me, she read me John 1:3-4. And since in HIM everything was created and without him nothing was created. Now, am alive and all my life have had only 3 attacks that have put me down and all have been evidenced after my studies.

I know we all have question in our lives but mine have always been why a project like Victory Child Care would welcome and take on a desolate, desperate yet with despair like me? Remember I was an orphan with lifetime span of 1 year according to the specialist but Victory Childcare Project (Mummy Freda Serwadda) put aside all the facts and looked at the truth that is; you will live, you have a bright future and I remember her husband (Pr. Joseph Sserwadda) once called me William at a school function. I think you should read this name slow again it’s WILL I AM and that is all I need as encouragement not only financially but also mentally to push me going for another day.

If you now ask me where I would be right now; I would probably be dead and if I had survived without the Victory Childcare Project opportunity of civilization, I would be either a thug or thief because one of my childhood friend called Nyombi was killed after stealing a phone from a Sudanese in a club. And 90% of all my other friends in the Muslims neighborhood are now hardcore thugs and those who can be kind of presentable are drug addicts and drunkards. A few managed to crossover and those are the same children that had accessed Victory Childcare Project.

Right now I have a Primary Leaving Exams certificate, High school certificates (UCE and UACE) and a degree in Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and not even my mother has ever paid or could even afford a cent for my fees but Victory Child Care Project. I am currently working with a local organization called MILDMAY UGANDA, which was handed over by MILDMAY INTERNATIONAL in UK as an assistant accountant and am currently pursuing a professional course in accounts called Association of Chartered Certified Accountants based in United Kingdom (UK). MildMay provide HIV care and any other priority related issue.

The aftermaths for a struggling life are more hope for another day, contribution to the education of others and always being there for my family.

If there is any great organization in this world then it must be Victory Child Care Project. Remember it’s not the hand that only gives but a heart attached to the help being received by people like me and probably many there who are going through much more worse situations than have ever evidenced .

I am Zijja Patrick Sekamanya, join me today to save a life that need much more than just living.

Just £35 per month will pay for education for one of the children who Victory Child Care Project has successfully resettled with their family members.

If you would like to support one of these children, and give them the support that Patrick, Dr JB and Olivia have received, please click the link below